Michael Collins This is Me

Education

 View all 81 references Web References

1. 1. Morning News Online - Florence, Myrtle Beach | Clemson's Collins ends his college football career

   www.morningnewsonline.com/serv - [Cached]

   Published on: 2/19/2005   Last Visited: 2/19/2005

   Former two-sport Commerce High School star Michael Collins, college football career is over.
   
   Collins, a receiver at Clemson, will miss the 2005 season and take a medical redshirt season to heal back and hip problems that have plagued him during the past two seasons.
   
   Collins, who transferred to Clemson in 2002 after spending a freshman season at Tennessee, will exhaust his eligibility because he redshirted in 2002 while sitting out the season per NCAA transfer rules.
   ...
   Collins said he suffers from scoliosis, which has caused significant pain in his back and hips, and it became much more difficult to deal with during the past two seasons.
   
   ,I have always had it. The pain was bearable to begin with. It has just been more and more of a problem than it had been,, said Collins, who made eight catches for 86 yards last season. ,I just looked toward the future, and just decided with all the options, I thought this would be best for my health and my future.,
   
   Collins said he made his decision to sit out the year after a meeting with new offensive coordinator Rob Spence and Swinney.
   
   The decision brings to conclusion a disappointing career for Collins, a much-heralded recruit when he came out of Commerce in 2001. He chose Tennessee over Clemson and Georgia in a hotly contested recruiting battle that left Tigers assistant coach Ron West almost inconsolable when he learned that Collins would be a Vol.
   
   He didn,t play at Tennessee, and struggled to get his chance at Clemson against quicker, more versatile receivers. The 6-foot-4 Collins started one game, the Tigers, homecoming win over Utah State Oct. 16 last season, but his best performance came in the 2004 spring game, when he made two touchdown catches.
   
   Collins said he has thought about what might have been had he tried basketball, and said that if Larry Shyatt was still coaching at Clemson he might have pursued it. But he said he wouldn,t go back and change the choices he made if he could.
   
   ,No regrets,, Collins said. ,Everything I have been through has been for a purpose, and I look at this the same way.,

2. 2. The State | 02/19/2005 | Clemson loses two receivers

   www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/ - [Cached]

   Published on: 2/19/2005   Last Visited: 2/19/2005

   Clemson reserve wide receivers Michael Collins and Gerald McCloud will not return as players next season, the school announced Friday.
   ...
   Collins has quit the team due to a degenerative hip injury and will become a student assistant coach at Clemson.
   ...
   Collins, a transfer from Tennessee, had one year of eligibility remaining. He played in all 11 games last season, including one as a starter, and caught eight passes for 84 yards.

3. 3. Charleston.Net: Sports: Clemson home away from home for Collins 12/29/03

   www.charleston.net/stories/122 - [Cached]

   Published on: 12/29/2003   Last Visited: 12/30/2003

   ATLANTA--In the end, Michael Collins realized he was a small-town guy at heart.
   
   Growing up in Commerce, Ga., Collins, a second-team wide receiver for Clemson, thought he was ready to get away from his small-town roots.
   
   He was wrong.
   
   Collins, who signed with Tennessee coming out of high school, said he never felt comfortable being so far away from home on a campus with more than 30,000 students.
   
   "I'm a big family guy, I love my family and I wasn't able to get to see them like I wanted to when I was at Tennessee," Collins said.
   ...
   "When I was getting recruited by Tennessee, I felt like I wanted to get away from home," Collins said. "I felt like I needed to get away from home and experience college life, but I found out that it wasn't for me. And when you're not happy where you're at, you're not going to be able to perform like you want to."
   
   Collins said his decision to leave Tennessee had nothing to do with the Volunteers' coaching staff, the players or playing time.
   
   "The biggest thing was me adjusting to Tennessee," Collins said. "It had nothing to do with the coaching staff or playing time, because they told me I would have played last year if I'd stayed. It's a great group of coaches and a great group of players. It was never personal like that."
   
   Tennessee coach Philip Fulmer said Collins left on good terms.
   ...
   After just one semester at Tennessee, Collins had made up his mind to leave and had a pretty good idea of where he wanted to go -- Clemson. Coming out of high school, Collins had picked the Volunteers over Clemson, but the decision had been a difficult one.
   
   "It was one of the most difficult decisions I've ever made," Collins said. "I like both schools a lot."
   
   Collins transferred to Clemson in January of 2002, but was forced to sit out all last season under NCAA rules.
   
   "I think I went to Tennessee for a purpose," Collins said. "I learned a lot about myself at Tennessee."
   
   Being closer to home -- Clemson is less than 90 minutes away from Commerce, Ga. -- has made Collins' transition easier.
   
   "It's just a better situation for me," Collins said. "I'm far enough away to still be my own person, but close enough to go home when I want."
   
   Collins has played sparingly this season, catching just four passes for 49 yards, but should be able to get on the field more in 2004.
   
   "Michael is going to have a chance this spring to really make an impact," said Clemson coach Tommy Bowden.
   ...
   Collins was also one of the top basketball players in the state of Georgia coming out of high school. He practiced with the Tigers' basketball team last year and hopes to join the team again after Friday's Peach Bowl.
   
   "I'm looking to play basketball, but I don't know what the situation is," Collins said.
   ...
   "If I have a chance to see them, I'll talk to them," Collins said. "But it comes down to I'm on the opposite team right now. We're going to have our friendship, but once we step between the lines, all that goes out the window."
   
   Despite wearing a Volunteers uniform less than two years ago, Collins said Friday's game won't be personal on any level for him.
   
   "It's not a vendetta for me," Collins said.